Description: This pelagic jellyfish has
many very short tentacles, forming a fringe at the margin of the bell.
It has 16 marginal lobes and 8 rhopalia.
Each rhopalium
has a small tentaclelike lappet
on each side of it, and also has eyespots. The subumbrellar
canals are branched and anastomosing.
The oral arms
meet at the center of the subumbrella
(it has no manubrium),
and extend beyond the bell usually with crenulated margins (photo) (but the oral
arm margins may be smooth instead). Usually an opaque whitish,
though sometimes with other colors. The conspicuous, horseshoe-shaped
gonads are whitish or may be violet or pink (in males, photo) or whitish or yellow
(in females). The margin is not brown. The bell is usually
wider than high. Up to 40 cm diameter; usually 10-15 cm.

How to Distinguish from Similar Species:
The rare Aurelia limbata has profusely branched subumbrellar
canals and the margin is dark brown. It is found off Alaska. Aurelia
aurita is a very similar Atlantic and Baltic species which has 8 rather
than 16 marginal lobes and has unbranched rather than anastomosing adradial
canals. Until recently A. labiata along this coast were thought
to be A. aurita.

Geographical Range: Found in most
seas, from the poles to the tropics. Includes seas off Europe, Japan,
Gulf of Mexico, E. US. Probably not native to the Pacific Coast of
N. America, but now can be found all along the coast at times. May
have originally been from Europe.

Depth Range: Shallow pelagic.
Often washes up on beaches.

Habitat: Pelagic, inshore and offshore
(often in large aggregations in our area)

Biology/Natural History: Abundance
of this species varies widely seasonally and from year to year. Females
of this species carry young larvae on the inner edges of the oral arms.
Scyphistomae
can sometimes be seen in large numbers attached on floating docks or on
protected rocks in the lower intertidal, and are about 1 cm long when extended,
with long tentacles. In central CA the scyphistomae
are seen beginning in February and strobilate
around March. In Washington they strobilate
January to April (Purcell
et al., 2009). The medusae
grow rapidly and are sexually mature by June. Most medusae
die after reproducing but some live a second year. Polyps
(scyphistomae)
feed by predation like small anemones. The medusa
feeds by capturing small organisms such as copepods on mucus, which is
then moved to the mouth by cilia. The medusa
seems to make little use of nematocycts in capturing food. Individuals
of this species from cold waters can survive being frozen solid in ice.
The species appears to migrate toward the surface during the day and downward
at night. The umbrella pulsing originates in one of the eight rhopalia,
and spreads via the nerve net. When starved, this species can shrink
dramatically in size while retaining functionality. The tentacles
of this species may trigger a slight rash. The species is sometimes
eaten by blue rockfish Sebastes mystinus.

This species was fairly common around Rosario Bay summer 2006.
We observed one individual captured by what appeared to be Urticina
crassicornis in about 18 m of water. According to Purcell
et al., the scyphistema larvae of this species are common on the underside
of docks near here, such as in Cornet Bay.

This
view of the underside shows the frilly oral arms. Note that the
tentacles are in an extended position. Photo by Dave Cowles at
Monterey Bay Aquarium August 2010.

The gonads in this male are pink or lilac. Photo by Dave Cowles, August 2010 at Monterey Bay Aquarium

Authors and Editors of Page:Dave Cowles (2006): Created original page
Edited by Dave Cowles, 2009